Picture-exhibitor



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. W. BROWN. PICTURE EXHIBITOR.

No. 552,410, Patented'De-b. 31, 1895.

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e- I 1 ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

G. W. BROWN. PICTURE EXHIBITOR.

-N0.-55Z,410. Patented Den. 31, 1895;

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- INVENTQH BMW/u- 6 Arromvrs.

AN DREW BGRMI'AM PHOTO-THU.WASHINGTONv D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE \V. BROIVN, OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO.

PlCTURE-EXHIBITOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,410, dated December 31, 1895.

Application filed April 23, 1895. $erial No. 546,910. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BROWN, of Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved Picture-Exhibitor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in devices for exhibiting pictures and the like, such as are employed for advertising and otherpurposes; and the object of the invention is to provide a device of this character of a simple and inexpensive construction which shall present certain features of novelty and advantages for use over other similar devices heretofore employed.

The invention comprises a rotative and endwise-movable drum suitably located in a casing provided with a sight-aperture, together with means for driving said drum to cause it to rotate and move endwise, and means actuated by the movement of the said drum itself for throwing said driving mechanism out of operation and permitting said drum to resume its original position, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

Referenceis to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken longitudinally through the casing of an exhibiting device constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the integral parts in a different position. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken substantially on the line 3 3 in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a view showing a-detail of construction to be hereinafter referred to.

In the views, 1 represents the casing of the exhibiting device, which may be of any form and material, provided with means for the admission of light and having in its upper portion a sight-aperture 2,at the base of which is mounted a lens 3,- as clearly indicated in Fig. 1. A shaft 4 is mounted in the casing, extending longitudinally thereof and fixed against rotary movement, and said shaft is provided with two spiral grooves or threads 5 and 5. A drum 7, preferably hollow, as indicated in Fig. 1, for the sake of lightness, is mounted on the shaft 4, being provided at one end with a bearing-plate 8 of the form seen in the detail view, Fig. 4, said plate being provided with a central opening to receive the shaft 4 and having at opposite sides of said opening projections 9 9 adapted to engage and work in the respective spiral grooves or threads 5 and 5 of the shaft 4.

The shaft 4 is provided adjacent to one of its ends with two set-collars 6, between which is loosely mounted a large gear or sprocket wheel 10, and at its opposite end said shaft is provided with similar set-collars 11, secured thereon, between which collars 11 is loosely mounted a disk 12. The disk 12 is tied at its opposite sides to the gear-wheel by means of longitudinal guide-bars 13, which extend through openings formedin the opposite ends of the drum 7, as indicated in Fig. 1, said drum being adapted to slide on said guidebars toward and from the gear-wheel 10 and being held so as to rotate with said gear- Wheel, as will be readily understood.

The drum 7 is connected at one end to the disk 12 by means of suitably-arranged spiral springs 14, connected at opposite sides thereof adjacent to the guide-bars 13, whereby the said drum 7 is normally held drawn over toward the said disk 12, and the spiral grooves 5 and 5* in the shaft 4 are so arranged that when the gear-wheel 10 is rotated said drum 7 will be drawn over toward the gear-wheel 10, so as to place said springs 14 under tension.

A lever 15 is pivoted at 16 to the floor or bottom plate of the casing 1 adjacent to one end thereof, being provided with a handle 17, extending through a vertical slot formed in the front plate of the casing, and on said lever 15 are mounted brackets 18, suitably spaced apart, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. In the brackets 18 is j ournaled a shaft 19, whereon is mounted a pinion 20, adapted when said lever 15 is in its lowest position, as indicated in Fig. 1, to be held out of engagement with the gear-wheel 10 on the shaft 4, but immediately below the same, and when said lever 15 is elevated, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, said pinion 20 is adapted to engage the teeth of the gear-wl1eel 10, so as to rotate therewith.

011 the shaft 19 is mounted a gear-wheel 21,

meshing with a pinion 22, fixed 011 a shaft 23, journaled between the side plates 18 of the casing, and said shaft 23 is provided with a pulley 2i, adapted to receive a belt whereby the shaft may be driven; or, if desired, said shaft may be geared to a spring-barrel or other driving mechanism in a well-known way.

A slide-block 20 is mounted on the floor or bottom plate of the casing 1, adjacent to the lever 15, and is adapted, when the lever is raised, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, to be moved under said lever, so as to hold the same in its elevated position, whereby the pinion is held in engagement with the gear-wheel 10. The slide-block 29 is mounted on the lower end of a lever 25, pivoted at 26 in the casi 11g and having its upper end 27 bent rearwardly, as indicated in Fig. 3, into position to be engaged by the drum 7 when said drum is at the end of its movement toward the gearwheel 10, as indicated by dotted lines at 31 in Fig. 1, and said lever is provided at its lower end with a spring 30, adapted to hold the slide-block 29 under the lever 15, except when said lever 25 is engaged and moved at its upper end by the drum 7.

The drum 7 is provided 011 its periphery with a spiral strip 32 whereon may be arranged in longitudinal series pictures or printed matter, and this strip, as the drum 7 turns, is adapted to move longitudinally under the sight-aperture 2 in such a way that the several pictures of the series on said strip will be visible through said sight-aperture.

In operation the drum 7 is normally held over to the left, as indicated in Fig. 1, by means of the sprin 1i, and when it is desired to use the apparatus to exhibit pictures or other devices on the strip the lever 15 is raised by means of its handle 17 so as to enthe pinon 20 with the gear-wheel 10 on shaft 4, said lever 15 being held in its elevated position by the slide-block 29, which is moved by the spring 30 thereunder as soon as the lever l is raised. lhe gear-wheel10, to gether with the disk 2 and drum 7, is thereupon set in rotary movement upon the shaft =1, and, owing to the engagement of the projections 9 9 with the spiral grooves 5 5 of said shaft 4, said drum will move longitudinally on the shaft simultaneously with its rotary movement in such a way that the spiral series of pictures on the strip 32 will be caused to move one after the other under the sightaperture 2 and will be visible to a person looking through said aperture. hen the drum 7 has completed its longitudinal movement on the shaft 4 and has assumed the position indicated at 31 in dotted lines its end will come in contact with the bent end 27 of the lever 25 so as to withdraw the slide-block 29 from under the lever 15 and allow said lever to drop, thereby withdrawing the pinion 20 from engagement with the gear-wheel 10 so as to stop the movement of the'said gearwheel 10 and drum 7, the latter being immediately retracted by means of its springs 1i to its original position. (Indicated in Fig. 1.)

From the above it will be understood that the exhibiting device is applicable for exhibiting pictures and advertising devices of all kinds, the drum whereon said devices or pictures are mounted being set in movement by simply manipulating the handle 17 of lever 15, and when said drum has reached the end of its movement it is automatically stopped against rotary movement and retracted to its original position, the handle 17 and its lever 15 being at the same time returned to their original position so as to be adapted to be again manipulated to set the drum in motion.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of a casing having a sight aperture, a drum mounted in the casin g below the sight aperture and adapted for longitudinal and rotary movement, gearing for imparting longitudinal and rotary movement to said drum, said gearing being mounted on a lever arranged in said casing, means for moving said lever in one direction to engage said gearing, a slide plate for holding said lever in its elevated position, and means actuated by the movement of the drum for mov ing said block out of engagement with said lever, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a casing having a sight aperture, a shaft mounted in said casing and provided with spiral grooves, a drum mounted on said shaft having projections engaging said spiral grooves, a gear wheel con nected to said drum and adapted to rotate therewith, gearing for driving said gear wheel, and means operated by the movement of the drum for throwing said gearing out of operative position, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, of a casing having a sight aperture, a shaft mounted in the casin g and provided with spiral grooves, a drum mounted on the shaft and having projections engaging said grooves, a gear wheel having guide bars engaging said drum, gearing for driving said gear wheel, and means operated by the movement of the drum for throwing said gearing out of operative posit-ion, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a casing having a sight aperture, a shaft mounted in the casin and provided with a spiral groove, a drum on said shaft having a projection engaging said groove, a disk loosely mounted on one end of said shaft, a gear wheel loosely mounted on the other end of said shaft, guide bars secured at their ends to the gear wheel and disk, said guide bars being guided on the drum, a retracting spring connected at one end to the disk and at the other end to the drum, and gearing for drivin said gear wheel, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a casing having a sight aperture, a drum arranged in the easin g below the sight aperture and adapted for longitudinal and rotary movement, a gear wheel connected to and adapted to rotate the said drum, a lever, gearing carried by said lever adapted, when the same is moved, to engage the gear wheel, a slide block adapted, when said lever is raised, to engage under and hold the same in its elevated position, and a lever connected to said slide block and adapted to be engaged by the drum when moved longitudinally, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, of a casing having a sight aperture, a drum mounted therein and adapted for longitudinal and rotary moveinent, gearing for imparting movement to the drum, and a lever having one end adapted to be engaged by said drum when moved longitudinally, said lever being connected with the gearing and adapted when moved to throw the gearing out of operation, substantially as set forth. v

GEORGE W. BROWN. \Vitnesses:

F. G. ARMBRUSTER, A. J. LAwToN. 

